Energy and Environment

Alex is determined to fight the existential threat of climate change. Having grown up in a low-income, heavily polluted neighborhood, he is dedicated to ensuring that every family has access to clean air and clean water. He served for six years as Chair of the California State Senate Committee on Energy, Utilities, and Communications, where he led the development of California’s ambitious renewable energy and climate policies that now serve as a model for the rest of the country. Alex’s environmental leadership has continued in the U.S. Senate. In addition to cosponsoring the Green New Deal, Alex introduced sweeping legislation to electrify our nation’s school buses and protect over one million acres of public lands in California, increasing access to nature and preserving California’s natural treasures for generations to come.

Alex understands the threat that increasingly frequent and catastrophic natural disasters and extreme weather events pose to California and the Western United States. That’s why he fought to secure millions of dollars in federal funding for flood control infrastructure to protect communities from catastrophic floods and rising sea levels. His bill the POWER ON Act was signed into law by President Biden to prevent utility outages caused by natural disasters like wildfires and other extreme weather events. And while California continues to face the threat of devastating wildfires, Alex led the successful passage of the FIRE Act, to modernize the way FEMA prepares for and responds to wildfires.

Recent News

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) joined Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), and 16 of their colleagues in...
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senators Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff (both D-Calif.) introduced legislation to establish strict standards for offshore oil and gas operators and set requirements to hold them responsible for decommissioning and cleanup efforts off our coast. U.S. Representative Dave Min...
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla, a member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, criticized Senate Republicans’ efforts to undermine forest conservation and block firefighter benefits. At an Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing, Padilla co-led...
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) joined Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), and 16 of their colleagues in...
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senators Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff (both D-Calif.) introduced legislation to establish strict standards for offshore oil and gas operators and set requirements to hold them responsible for decommissioning and cleanup efforts off our coast. U.S. Representative Dave Min...
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla, a member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, criticized Senate Republicans’ efforts to undermine forest conservation and block firefighter benefits. At an Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing, Padilla co-led...
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senators Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff (both D-Calif.) introduced the Ensuring Disaster Recovery and Resilience for Specialty Crops Act, which would establish a permanent relief program to provide support for farmers who lost specialty crops due to natural disasters, economic crises, and...
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs held a hearing on two of U.S. Senator Alex Padilla’s (D-Calif.) bipartisan bills to promote Tribal management of over 2,000 acres of land in California. The Committee considered his legislation...
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) released the following statement on the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026. “California is home to the largest agricultural economy in the country and I am committed to delivering a farm...
Editorial note: In response to this letter, President Trump signed the request for a Federal Emergency Declaration submitted by the State of California. A Federal Emergency Declaration activates additional federal resources to support life-saving activities. These resources include coordination of...
Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff (both D-Calif.), members on the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, introduced the Golden Mussel Eradication and Control Act of 2026 to expedite the control and eradication of golden mussels – harmful species native to...
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), a member of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, joined Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) to condemn the Trump Administration’s proposed rollbacks of Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards,...
California gas prices are up more than $1.50 per gallon since the start of Trump’s war with Iran WASHINGTON, D.C. — As Californians face rising gas prices driven by the Trump Administration’s ongoing war in Iran, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla...